Here is a list of non-governmental forest organizations.
1. International Union for Conservation of Nature:
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. It was founded in October 1948 as the International Union for the Protection of Nature (IUPN) and considered world’s first global environmental organization.
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The organization publishes the IUCN Red List, compiling information from a network of conservation organizations to rate which species are most endangered. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization comprising more than 1,200 member organizations including 200+ government and 900+ non-government organizations. It has its headquarters in Gland, Switzerland.
Conserving biodiversity is central to the mission of IUCN. It demonstrates how biodiversity is fundamental to a ddressing some of the world’s greatest challenges- tackling climate change, achieving sustainable energy, improving human well-being and building a green economy. IUCN work is framed by a Global Programme, developed with and approved by IUCN member organizations every four years.
Current IUCN global programme runs from 2009 to 2012. It has five priority areas of work-biodiversity, climate change, sustainable energy, human well-being and green economy. It has six commissions viz. Commission on Education and Communication (CEC), Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP), Commission on Environmental Law (CEL), Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), Species Survival Commission (SSC) and World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).
2. World Wide Fund for Nature:
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) was conceived on 29 April 1961 under the name of World Wildlife Fund and its head office was opened on 11 September 1961 in Morges, Switzerland. Its establishment marked with the signing of the founding document called Morges Manifesto that lays out the formulation ideas of its establishment. WWF was established as an international fundraising organization to work in collaboration with existing conservation groups and bring substantial financial support to the conservation movement on a worldwide scale.
In 1986, the organization changed its name to World Wide Fund for Nature, to better reflect the scope of its activities. For 50 years, WWF has been protecting the future of nature. The world’s leading conservation organization, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF’s mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
The Goals and Strategies of WWF include, by 2020, WWF will conserve 15 of the world’s most ecologically important regions by working in partnership with others to:
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i. Protect and restore species and their habitats.
ii. Strengthen local communities’ ability to conserve the natural resources they depend upon.
iii. Transform markets and policies to reduce the impact of the production and consumption of commodities.
iv. Ensure that the value of nature is reflected in decisions made by individuals, communities, governments and businesses.
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v. Mobilize hundreds of millions of people to support conservation.
3. The International Institute for Sustainable Development:
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is a Canadian-based, public policy research institute that has a long history of conducting cutting-edge research into sustainable development. It was established in 1990 and has its head office in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The institute champions global sustainable development through innovation, research and relationships that span the entire world. It contributes to the international negotiations on the sustainable management of forests with targeted communications aimed at improving the transparency and clarity of the discussions in a variety of forum viz. UNFF, CSD, WCFSD.
4. World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development:
Following the Earth Summit in 1992, it was agreed that solutions to forest degradation are likely to be more political than technical. Accordingly, the Inter Action Council, a group of some 30 former heads of government and states, decided to establish an independent commission called World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development (WCFSD). IISD also hosts the Secretariat of World Commission on Forests and Sustainable Development.
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The objectives are:
i. To increase awareness of the dual function of world forests in preserving natural environment and contributing to economic development.
ii. To broaden the consensus on the data, science and policy aspects of forest conservation and management.
iii. To build confidence between North and South on forest matters with emphasis on international cooperation.
iv. To achieve policy reforms aimed at reconciling economic and environmental objectives for sustainable management of global forests.
5. World Resources Institute – Global Forest Watch:
World Resources Institute (WRI) was launched June 3, 1982 as a center for policy research and analysis addressed to global resource and environmental issues. It has its headquarters in Washington D.C. WRI works with governments, companies and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges.
WRI’s transformative ideas protect the earth and promote development because sustainability is essential for meeting human needs and fulfilling human aspirations in the future. Global Forest Watch is an initiative of the World Resources Institute. Global Forest Watch seeks to catalyze changes in forest use to meet human needs and better protect forest ecosystems.
6. Forest Stewardship Council:
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.
Established in 1993 as a response to concerns over global deforestation, FSC is a pioneer forum where the global consensus on responsible forest management convenes and through democratic process effects solutions to the pressures facing the world’s forests and forest- dependent communities. FSC is locally represented in more than 50 countries around the world.